Bach and Rachmaninov aren't just for fogies and elites. Young keyboard virtuosos like Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe are making sure of it. The two 30-somethings, also known as the duo Anderson & Roe, have made it their mission to "make classical piano music a relevant and powerful source in society." They're succeeding primarily through adrenalized performances that have earned them plaudits from coast to coast and far beyond.

The pair will be appearing as part of Steinway Society the Bay Area's 19th annual piano series Jan. 12 at Saratoga's McAfee Performing Arts and Lecture Center, 20300 Herriman Ave., Saratoga. It's a return visit to the region for their fans, plenty of whom have discovered them through social media that includes an interactive blog, andersonroe.com, featuring wildly imaginative, self-created videos. Think giant millipedes crawling across playing hands, or an organ that simultaneously burns and drowns.

"Sometimes we think of our music as a Pixar film," Roe says about their mini-movies. "It's hard to find someone who doesn't like them. They're well crafted and hit you on so many levels."

Anderson and Roe, who met in 2000 as freshmen at the Juilliard School, both call California home, although in different regions. She's currently an artist in residence at Sonoma State University as a member of Trio Ariadne, a clarinet, cello and piano ensemble. His home base is Los Angeles, and he's taught at music camps at San Jose State University and Santa Clara University.

"The Bay Area is so rich with possibility, and people are so receptive," Anderson says. "We feel at home whenever we play in the area. It's clear there are many students and teachers in the audience, who are incredibly knowledgeable. They listen with such joy and openness."

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Like any good millennials, these two are proficient multi-taskers. "We work incredibly hard, as our lives have become more layered and complex," Roe says. "We have so many interests--from web sites to videos--that performing is not the sole thing that we do." It makes sense, then, that the way she describes those videos also applies to their live music: "They're emotional. We want our concerts to be this, too."

The Jan. 12 program includes Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring from Cantata No. 147; Sonatina from Cantata No. 106; Mozart's Papageno! based on arias from The Magic Flute; and Rachmaninov's Sonata No. 1 (Fantaisie-tableaux) for Two Pianos, Op. 5.

Tickets are $30 to $58 (student/senior/group discounts available) at 408.990.0872 or steinwaysociety.com.